Wrench.



No.-7'72,870. PATENTED OCT. 18, 904. J. F. CLARK.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.1.7. 1903/ 30101121..

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No. 772,870 I PATENTED OCT. 18, 1904.

' .J.F;GLAR K.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION PILED'DEO.17, 1903. N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES JOHN F. CLARK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Patented October 18, 1904. PATENT OFFICE.

WRENCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,870, dated October 18, 1904.

Application filed December 1'7, 1903. Serial No. 185,5 i8. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements in Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

. This invention relates to improvements in that class of wrenches which can be used as a pipe-wrench or for tightening or for removing nuts from bolts and for like purposes; and it consists in certain peculiarities of the constructi'on, novel arrangement, and operation of the various parts thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

, justing the movable jaw to the proper point on the shank and there holding it in such a manner that the nut or other article to be turned will be firmly clamped .by the two jaws, the pressure of which may be regulated at the will of the operator.

Another important object is to so construct the wrench that the grip or clamping pressure of the jaws may be speedily relaxed when it is desired to release the wrench from the nut, so as to take a new hold thereon.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be disclosed in the subjoined description and explanation.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention pertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe it, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a face view of a wrench embodying one form of my invention. Fig. 2 is a face view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of a portion of the wrench, show-v ing the locking member in engagement with the toothed bar. Fig; 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line- 3 3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 4 is a face view in. elevation of the wrench, showing a modification in the construction thereof. Fig. 5 is a front view thereof. Fig.

jaw.

the shank.

ing therein, which opening is in alinement with the front surface of the shank 10 and is for the reception and operation of a sliding bar 13, which is provided on eachof itssides with teeth 14-. for the purpose presently to be explained. One end of the bar 13 is rigidly connected to a slide 15, which surrounds the shank 10 and carries on its front portion a jaw 16, which I-will term the movable-7 Pivotally secured .on the shank 10 at 4 about the beginning of the handle portion 12 thereof is a grip-piece 17, which is hollow to receive the handle 12, as is clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. That end of the grip-piece 17 adjacent to the jaws of the wrench is formed or provided with a cam 18 to impinge a sleeve 19, which surrounds the shank 10 and is held in contact with the cam 18 of the grip-piece by means of a spring 20, which in the present instance is shown as being located in a recess 21, formed in one side of the shank. One end of the spring 20 rests against the end of the recess 21 and the other end rests against a lug 22, which the sleeve 19 carries and which projects into said recess.

As shown in Figs. land 2 of the drawings, the front and rear portion of the sleeve 19 is provided with an opening 28, in which is located a locking member 24, which is provided with prongs 25 to stride the shank, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3 of thedrawings. The inner ends of the prongs 25 of the locking member 24 are each provided with inwardlyextending teeth 26 to engage the teeth 14: on the sides of the bar 13, which passes through an opening 27 in the sleeve 19, parallel with J ournaled transversely on the free ends of the prongs 25 of the locking member 24 is a cam 28, which is provided with an arm or lever 29 forturning the same. Secured at one of its ends to the sleeve 19 is a spring 30, the other end of which engages the cam-lever and serves to hold it in its raised or lowered position.

In Figs. 4 to 6, inclusive, I have shown a modification in the construction of the wrench which I may sometimes employ and which consists in providing thefixed jaw 11 with an opening 31 on its inner surface near the front of the shank, in which opening is located a spring 32, against the outer end of which one end of a bar 33 rests. This bar is provided on each of its sides with teeth 14 and extends through a slide 34,which surrounds the shank 10, and carries a movable jaw 16, as in the first-described construction. In this modification the jaws 11 and 16 are preferably made of malleable iron and are provided on their faces with serrated plates 35 of case-hardened steel. The slide 34 is provided in its front and rear portions at about its middle with an opening 36, in which a locking member 24 of the same construction as that shown in Fig. 3 and above described is located. Instead, however, of employing a cam-lever to operate the locking member a cam 37. having its upper portion milled,is journaled transversely on the forks or prongs 25 of said member, and a forked spring 38, secured at one of its ends to the slide 34 and having its prongs in engagement with the cam, is employed. In the modification now under consideration a sleeve 39 surrounds the shank 10 at the inner end of the grip-piece 17 and is rigidly fixed to the bar 33,which, as before stated, passes through an opening in the slide 34, which carries the movable jaw.

The operation of the wrench is simple and as follows: WV hen the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is employed, the locking member 24 may be released from the teeth of the sliding bar 13 by raising the lever 29 on the cam 28 to the position shown in Fig.1, when it is apparent that the teeth 26 of the locking member will be disengaged from those on said bar, at which time the movable jaw 16 may be slid on the shank 10 to the proper point,when by turning the cam 28 by means of the lever 29 to the position shown in Fig. 2 the teeth of the locking member will be caused to engage those of the bar 13, thus holding the movable jaw at the position to clamp the nut or article to be turned. By gripping the handle 12 and grip piece 17 with the hand it is evident that the cam 18 on the inner portion of the grip-piece will force the sleeve 19 and bar 13, which carry the jaw 16,toward the fixed jaw 11, thus firmly clamping the nut or article to be turned. When it is desired to take a new hold on the nut, the pressure on the handle and grip-piece 17 should be lessened or removed, when the spring 20 will force the sleeve 19 slightly toward the grip-piece, thus through the instrumentality of the locking member, carried by the sleeve and the bar 13, relaxing the clamping-pressure of the jaws.

In using the modifications shown in Figs. 1; to 6, inclusive, the same operation as above described is performed, except that the cam 37 may be turned so as to cause the locking member 24 to engage or disengage the toothed bar by placing the thumb or finger on the milled portion of the cam and turning it in the proper direction. In this modification the cam 18 on the grip-piece acts against the sleeve 39, which is, as above stated, fixed to one end of the sliding bar 31), which is retracted by means of the spring 32 in the fixed jaw when pressure is removed from the grip-piece and handle.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a cross-sectional view through a portion of the shank and a part of the grip-piece which illustrates the manner of connecting the same together. lt will be seen from said view that the grip-piece 17 is formed on its inner surface with bosses 40 to lit in suitable openings 41 in the sides of the shank 10. thus relieving the pivot ol the strain thereon.

I Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a shank provided at one end with a fixed jaw, and at its other end with a handle, of a grip-piece pivotally secured to the shank and embracing the handle and provided with a cam-shaped inner end, a jaw movable on the shank, a sleeve loosely mounted on the shank at the inner end of the grip-piece, a toothed-bar conneetin g the sleeve and movable jaw, a locking member striding the bar and shank, a cam journaled on the locking member, and means to force the sleeve toward the grip-piece, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a shank having at one of its ends a fixed jaw, of a grip-pieee pivotally secured to the shank near its other end and provided with a cam-shaped inner end, a jaw movable on the shank, a sleeve loosely mounted on the shank at the inner end of the grip-piece, a toothed bar rigidly connected at one of its ends to the movable jaw and located in an opening in said sleeve, a locking member carried by the sleeve and striding the shank and toothed bar, and a cam journaled on the locking member to move the same in and out of engagement with the toothed bar, substantially as described.

The combination with a shank provided at one end with a fixed jaw and at its other end with a handle, of a grip-piece pivotally secured to the shank and provided with a cam-shaped innerend, a jaw movable on the shank, a member, and means to force the sleeve toward sleeve loosely mounted on the shank at the the grip-piece, substantially as described. inner end of the,grip-piece,a toothed bar rigidly connected to the movable jaw and located in an opening in said sleeve, a locking mem- Witnesses: ber carried by the-sleeve and striding the bar GHAs. C. TILLMAN, and shank, a cam journaled on the locking A. GUsTAFsoN.

JOHN F. CLARK. 

